


Picture Perfect Blue

by NovaStars42



Series: The Kids Aren't Alright [8]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/F, Female Friendship, Friendship, Hiking, House Party, Humanstuck, Lost and Found, Lost dog, Pet, Petstuck, Pyral is a literal dog and Terezi is human, Scourge Sisters, Underage Drinking, does this qualify as petstuck?, graduation party, or something like it?, repaired friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2016-05-19
Packaged: 2018-06-09 11:02:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6903229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NovaStars42/pseuds/NovaStars42
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Terezi shows up at Meenah's graduation party saying shes lost her seeing eye dog. Vriska volunteers to help her find him. </p><p>To Occur the same day as "Let Us Be In Love"<br/>-End Of Act One-</p>
            </blockquote>





	Picture Perfect Blue

**Author's Note:**

> Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOPMlIIg_38

My girlfriend knew how to throw a pretty bitchen party. _I_ of course had helped her with it, like a good girlfriend, and made many improvements.

Meenah’s mom, Condesce, was about the coolest mom I’d ever meet. She’s bought everything Meenah asked, and even stowed away a couple cases of beer just for the kids.

“Not evry day yo daughter graduates from motha fuckin high school!” The tall woman grinned, slapping her older daughter on the back.

The Peixes’s back yard was a swamp of fuchsia pink streamers and doughnut shaped pool floaties. The pool and Meenah’s swimming scholarship had been the main focus of the party.

Once all of the relatives left, Condesce included, I found myself donning my black two piece with a cold beer in my hand.

“Was real nice of you to stay all day with me like this,” Meenah remarked slyly, pressing her cold can into my naked side. I squealed in response, pressing mine to her neck in retaliation.

She threw her head back and laughed, gripping my chin and pulling me into a sloppy kiss on the lips.

“What kind of bad girlfriend would I be if I didn’t stay all day?” I asked loftily, making her smirk.

I glanced up at her taller frame. We’d bought the same bathing suit on purpose, but it looked much better on her.

“Um, would somebody tie me up, please?” My sister asked, coming out of the house with her hands clasped over her boobs, her back tie hanging loose at her sides. Aranea had on her boring old blue old suite she'd got last year. I didn’t spend much time looking at her, but earlier I had noticed she was nursing her beer a bit heavier than me. I wondered what was up with that.

“Sure,” Meenah left my side to tie a bow for her best friend.

Just as she picked up the strings, the doorbell rang. All of the other graduates from the neighborhood were supposed to be on their way back over.

“I’ll get it!!” A cheery voice called through the house. Meenah rolled her eyes as her younger sister Feferi, a girl in my own friend group, came bounding down the stairs to get the door.

“Hey, hey, heeey!!!” Latula Pyrope’s voice shouted through the house.

“Aw shit! Hey, Pyrope!” Meenah grinned, and the two went in for a high five that had them both shaking their hands from the sting.

Mituna Captor was standing sort of awkwardly off to the side, frowning. He was probably here only for his girlfriend.

Feferi entered the room, smiling at me as she made her way back over to the pool and decided to amuse herself in the water. I smiled back but only to be civil.

Porrim Maryam showed up with Kankri Vantas a few minutes later. Cronus Ampora waltz in after that, and after that Horuss Zahhak followed Rufioh Nitram into the party. The only people not in Attendance were Damara Megido, Gamzee’s weird older brother and Nepeta’s sister Meulin. Damara and Meulin hated Meenah’s guts, I learned, and Kurloz stayed away on his girlfriend’s principal.

Everyone sort of just fell into line after that. People gravitated away from Meenah, they liked her well enough to call her a friend, but no one was particularly close to her and my sister.

Two hours into the party, we had the back yard lit up with Christmas lights and everybody was getting a little crazy. It was a little hard to get really drunk in such a short time. I would probably have to say buzzed was the right word for all the giggling light weights in front of me.

I was sitting with my back up against the pool, half submerged in the warm water next to Meenah. She was quiet for once, sitting on the cement with her feet in the water, holding my hand.

Latula Pyrope was doing probably the third or fourth backflip off the pool deck, laughing wildly in a way that reminded me of her sister, and shaking out her wet mane of hair. She screamed something along the lines of “Totally Radical!” And hugged her boyfriend around the middle. Mituna was still extremely unimpressed.

I’d been friends with Terezi long enough to know this wasn’t the real her. Every time she went out in public it was ‘radical’ that, and 'sweet’ this, and that, and the other thing. At home she just wanted to sit quietly and play video games.

“What’s up with her?” I finally asked, quiet enough for only Meenah to hear.

“Social anxiety or somethin’, I dunno,” Meenah muttered back.

My sister was on, oh, God, was that her third beer? Aranea and I couldn't get drunk. Our mom would probably warp us into some kind of mind controlled suicide if we did. She was going to have to spend the night here. God. _God_. Sometimes she was stupid.

“You hear that?” My girlfriend quizzed.

“Hear what?” I replied.

“Door bell,” she sighed. It rang again and that time I heard it.

“I’ll get it,” I smiled, “it’s your party. The _least_ I could do, as your _girlfriend_ is get the door for you.”

“Thanks,” she grinned, placing a kiss on the top of my head.

I hauled myself out of the pool, grabbing a towel on my way. I didn’t think Condesce would mind a little water on her carpet. The house was empty except for me and the booming music, and the doorbell rang several more times before I got to it.

“I’m coming! Jesus, keep your pants on!” I huffed, grasping the doorknob to throw it open.

I wasn’t prepared for who was standing there.

Terezi was on the doorstep, wearing a pair of ripped shorts with skinned up knees. Her glasses were gone, and it revealed her eyes.

When I went blind in my left eye, it had been so damaged they’d taken it straight out of my head and replaced it with a glass eye. It looked a little lazy was all, you could hardly tell it was fake.

Terezi, on the other hand, was not as lucky as I was. She still had both eyes in her sockets, but instead of white with blue green irises, they were perpetually red. Scarring had replaced any other color in her eye with a milky whiteness. Her eyelids seemed to be constantly hooded. That might have been nerve damage though.

Looking at her made me feel like I’d had all the luck that day. All of it.

I pulled my gaze away from her eyes to examine the rest of her face. Her nose was red and tear stains tracked her cheeks. Her cane was gone.

“Terezi?” I asked in disbelief.

“Shit, uh,” Terezi muttered, wiping her nose with her wrist, “I’m trying to go to Meenah Peixes’s house. Fuck, can you point me in the right direction? I don’t need help.”

I knew how much she hated it when people wouldn't let her do things for herself.

“You're at the right house,” I confirmed.

She rubbed her unseeing eyes next, trying to chase away tears. “Is Latula here?”

“Yeah. What happened to you?”

“Terezi?!”

Latula practically pushed me out of the way, her soaking body drenching the carpet. I really hoped Mrs. Peixes wouldn't mind.

“Latula, oh,” Terezi’s voice cracked before it split into sobs.

“Hey, it’s okay, Sissy,” the older Pyrope sister cooed, scooping her sister into a hug, “what happened? What’s wrong?”

“Pyral,” she choked out.

My heart sank almost as fast at Latula’s expression. Terezi loved that dog.

“What’s wrong with him? Where is he?” Latula pried her sister's face away from her chest, forcing her sister to look up at her even though her sister couldn’t see.

“He, fuck, I can’t find him. He’s gone, he ran off.”

My brow furrowed. Didn’t that go against his guide dog training?

“What happened, Terezi?” Latula asked once more, trying to smooth her sister's shoulders. “I can’t understand you when you're crying.”

Terezi cried a little harder, but then moments later, probably realizing her sister was right, started to calm herself.

“I don’t know. I couldn’t see him. I just wanted to go to see if Nepeta was home, and all of a sudden he’s barking and snarling, and something knocked me over. I called him and called him but he never came. I couldn’t find my cane, or my glasses, I don’t even know how long he’s been gone.”

“We’re gonna find him, Terezi,’ Latula replied confidently. "let’s call mom, and then we’ll get in the car and go look for him.”

Terezi hassled her phone out of her pocket as Mituna joined us from outside.

“Latula, would you hel-hellp me with my sh-fuck, shirt?”

“Yes, give me two seconds,” she told him, not taking her eyes away from Terezi.

“What’s go, going on?” Mituna stuttered, coming closer.

“Pyral is lost,” I murmured as the phone clicked.

“Mom?” Terezi hiccuped, “Mom, Pyral ran away.”

I couldn’t hear her mom on the other side of the phone, but Terezi handed the phone to Latula.

“Hello? Yes, she’s fine. Scraped up, but fine,” she paused, “yeah. We’re gonna go walk the neighborhood. Yeah okay, bye.”

Latula sighed as she hung up the phone. “She said she’ll be here in fifteen. I’m gonna get me and Tuna dressed, stay here.” And then she disappeared to the bathroom, taking Mituna with her.

“Are you still there, Vriska?” My best friend mumbled. Yes, she was still my best friend.

“Of course I’m here,” I answered, “do you want to sit down?”

“I’m good.”

She looked miserable.

“I’ll help you find him, I’m sure he’s close by.” I insisted. The look that crossed her face was something like disbelief. Even if she was my best friend, we weren’t exactly on speaking terms all of the time.

“Okay,” Latula sounded rushed as she reentered the room, pulling Mituna. Her clothes were wet from her bathing suit and her hair was in tangles. The front if Terezi’s t-shirt was wet as well.

“I’m gonna go get my car keys, and you, me, and Tuna are gonna ride around and call him. Mom said she’ll walk the neighborhood when she gets here.”

“Vriska said she’d help,” Terezi added.

“Oh,” Latula glanced my way with suspicious confusion.

Terezi sniffed one last time, her crying fizzing away, but her cheeks still puffy. “You guys take the car, I’ll go with Vriska and check the woods behind the subdivision.”

“Terezi, I don’t know-” Latula began but her younger sister didn’t let her finish.

“We don’t have time to argue,” Terezi reminded her. She was right. Latula gave no further protest. Latula pulled Mituna with her as she left.

I ducked back into the house momentarily to tell Meenah I was leaving, and she gave me a thumbs up in return. I slipped my cloths back on and grabbed my phone.

The first thing we did was collect Terezi’s cane and sunglasses from the pavement. Thankfully for her neither was broken.

Next, we set off into the woods.

The cane was pretty much useless once we crested the tree line. We entered behind my house on a trail I knew by heart, searching for mud or dirt with paw imprints. Terezi couldn’t 'see’ without the dog and cane. There were roots, leaves, broken acorns and uneven ground everywhere. I could tell she was struggling. I sort of didn’t want to help her, I knew how much she hated handouts.

She didn’t want to just be the blind girl, Terezi wanted to be the blind girl who could do stuff for herself. Not only was she slowing us down, but I could tell by the look on her face she was distressed. I _of course_ had a remedy.

“Hey, it’s kinda dark. Hold my hand so I don’t lose you,” I commanded.

“Okay,” she agreed, and I clasped my hand over hers.

“So this was your idea, do you think he’s back here?” I inquired.

“I don’t know,” she said coldly. We walked a little further in silence, the sticks crunching under our sneakers. I was going to leave it alone, but she spoke again, and it set my nerves on edge. “If he got hit I don’t want to know about it.”

“I’m sure he’s fine, he’s a dog, dogs are resourceful,” I tried to laugh it off, but Terezi was not in a laughing mood. “Maybe you should call him?”

“Pyral!” She shouted instead of answering.

“Here boy, Pyral!” I joined in.

We carried on, calling her dog for I don’t know how long. It was dusk when we left, but it was night now, and I used my phone flashlight to see. The mosquitoes were bad tonight, and we were both slapping our arms and legs to keep them off. We were nearing the end of the trail. It was less than an acre and it spit out in the subdivision behind ours. Terezi didn’t know this, she didn’t know where we were, but I knew.

“Pyral!” Terezi shouted again. Then she sighed, exasperated.

“We’re gonna find him,” I tried again to reassure her.

“Shh,” she put her finger to her lips.

“Terezi! Don’t be such a downer!” I huffed.

“No! Be quiet. I heard something,” she sputtered.

It was quiet, but I heard it too. A small yip, followed by the unmistakable whining of a dog.

“Pyral?” Terezi questioned.

The dog yipped again.

“Oh, I’m coming buddy!”

Terezi went towards the sound, her hands out in front of her until she found herself in a viney growth wrapped around the base of a tree. She grunted as a stick poked her in the face and she swatted it away, only for another to stab her in the ear.

“Okay, _no_ , ” I told her, pulling her out of the undergrowth. “I’ll go in after him.”

I might only have one good eye, but at least I could see where I was going. I swept the brush away from my path, getting a few pokes from the brushes myself.

Big brown eyes stared back a me, shining in the light of my phone. The yellow lab’s harness was tangled and snagged, trapping him in the brush and preventing him from moving. I could see his chest was bloody, running from a hole in his neck that stained his yellow coat brown. He panted, stressed out and drooling a little.

“Is he okay?” Terezi asked.

“Uh, kinda,” I muttered, “just hold on. He’s gonna be fine.”

“Kinda? What does that mean?”

I groaned, “he’s bleeding alright? We’re gonna get him out. Call your mom, do something productive!”

It was like that hadn’t dawned on her, because she then pulled out her phone and commanded it to call her mother. I didn’t listen to her conversation, just struggled through the brush to the dog.

Pyral was happy to see me, I think. He didn’t growl at me, so I figured that was a good sign. I grabbed his leather collar and unhooked his leash and harness. I began pulling the leash through the sticks, finally dislodging it I threw it on to the trail. It was hard enough to crawl through the bushes when I had two working arms, but now I was minding my prosthetic and trying to use my only remaining arm to do multiple things.

I set on the harness next. As soon as I got that, the whole dog came free, and I guided him to the trail.

“Here, Terezi,” I said, hooking the leash back to the dog and handing it to her.

My friend almost collapsed, her knees buckling as she threw her arms around me in a lopsided hug. She was crying, hard, and nearly crushing me. Hesitantly, I wrapped my good arm around her.

“Thank you,” she choked, “thank you, Vriska.”

“Your welcome,” I smiled, “I _told_ you we’d find him. Now let go, I gotta haul his harness out of there and then we gotta book it.”

She let go like I’d asked, and I struggled the harness out of the tangle of brush. The 'seeing eye dog’ patch was ripped, but somehow I didn’t think she’d mind.

I held her hand on the way back out, and in her other hand, she held her dog’s lead in a firm grip.

Neophyte Pyrope’s SUV was bright red, and I could see it’s tail lights glowing bright through the dark as she wheeled into the cul-de-sac going a hundred miles an hour. Latula’s car pulled in next, and they both stood in the street, waiting for us.

“Thank you, Vriska,” Terezi said again. I rolled my eyes.

“You already said that. Go get that dog to the vet,” I scoffed. Finally, a smile cracked her face.

Neophyte was scooping the dog up and loading him into a crate before either of us said a word. Latula got her sister into the car, picking leaves out of her hair before shutting the door and going back to her own car. Neophyte was nervous, so she’d clammed up, racing around to get everything ready to go.

I stepped out of the way before the SUV ran my ass over, jerking back and jumping foreword before it even stopped motion.

“Thanks!” The older Pyrope sister shouted, pulling out after her mother. I held my hand up and waved as they left.

I huffed, scratching idly at my neck. I had a hundred mosquito bites covering my skin and everything itched. My cloths chafed my skin. God. Good lord. I needed to find some anti-itch cream and some fucking powder.

I glanced over at my girlfriends house, and it looked like the party was still on, so I headed back there. I let myself back in the front door.

Meenah was standing in her kitchen, holding another beer and messing with the stereo when I entered the house.

“Hey!” She grinned, “get in a fight with tree and loose?”

“Something like that,” I muttered, rolling my eyes, “That dog was so damn stupid he ran himself into a bush and got stuck. What an idiot.”

“Want some?” She asked, offering me her drink. I took and and sipped it.

“Your hair is a goddamn hot mess,” she smirked.

“Yours isn’t much better,” I grinned. She had horrible pool hair.

“Come on,” she urged, tugging on my hand. She lead the way to her downstairs bathroom. I sat on the toilet as she rummaged around in the drawers for a comb. I helped myself to a bottle of itch cream while she was distracted.

“Did the dog get very far?” She inquired.

“No, just in the woods. I think something bit him though. What kind of stupid mutt runs away when it’s hurt? He was probably after something.”

She shrugged. “Animals are stupid.”

She ran the comb through my long hair, careful when it snagged. She pulled the sticks and leaves out gently, and worked with small strands.

“Not your fish though?” I jested.

“Especially the fish,” she laughed. “Your sister is passed out in my room. You staying the night too?”

I paused, taking another cold sip off of her beer. “Only if we can switch to cola.”

“Deal.”

**Author's Note:**

> END OF ACT ONE 
> 
>  
> 
> Pyral is okay by the way! The vet patched him up.


End file.
